Downdraft-furnace.



W. H. JAMES'.

DOWNDRAPT FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16. 1909.

Patented Jan. 10,- 1911.

TH: Nomzls PETERS ca., wAsHmcraN, n. c.

UNIT

WILLIAM H. JAMES, 0F CINCINNATI, OHIO.

DOWNDRAFT-FURNACE.

To alll whom i may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM H. JAMES, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and. useful Improvement in Downdraft-Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to heatino` apparatus, more particularly to downdraft furnaces for heating water, the generation of steam, the heating of air by convection and heating by warm air and radiant heat.

It is the object of my invention to provide a downdraft heating apparatus in which there is a combined fuel holdingchamber and fire-box, having a continuous double wall or shell its entire length, said double wall or shell having` a chamber between its concentric shells for a perfect and free circulation of water or of air, as the case may be, and in which there is a combustion-chamber surrounding said combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box, and said combustion-chamber having either a single or a double walled surrounding shell and cro-wn to duly conform to the various uses to which said single or double walls are adapted.

In carrying out my invention, I provide either a single or a double outer-walled combustion-chamber having a crown with suitable openings therein connecting said combustion-chamber with the flue provided at the upper end of the apparatus, the combustion-chamber corresponding, practically, to the common fire-pot and combustion-chamber of the ordinary heating apparatus having an upward draft through it, either a cylindrical or conical-shaped double-walled combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box having its double-walls near its bottom oriced at intervals to form hollow legs or supports for said combined fuel holdingchamber and fire-box and shaped at the bo-ttom in such a manner as to form a hollow, annular, flanged base that rests upon the top of an ash-pit, and said hollow, annular, flanged base supporting the walls of the combustion-chamber, a pipe extending upwardly from the apex or upper extremity of the combined fuel holding-chamber and tirebox, and a suitable {ire-grate or fuel-support adapted to allow, practically, no air to pass through it.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 16, 1909.

Patented J' an. 10, 1911.

Serial No. 512,949.

My invention consists of certain novel parts and new combinations of parts as will be hereinafter particularly described and claimed.

For the purpose of more intelligently illustrating and describing my invention herein, I adopt in my drawings an apparatus, commonly known as a hot-water heater or boiler used in warming the interiors of buildings, and shall use, exclusively, the several parts of said apparatus in describing my invention.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings. Figure l is a vertical section of a furnace or `water-boiler made accordingY to my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section taken on line 2, 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan view o-f the tire and fuel supporting-grate made according to my invention; Fig. t, a horizontal cross-section taken on line 4, t of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5, a View partly sectional and partly in elevation, of the ash-pit, the conical-shaped doubled-walled combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box, and a doublewalled combustion-chamber.

Referring to t-he said drawings, 10 indicates the double walls of the combustionchamber, with the water-chamber 1()a between them. Said double walls are made up in two sections 11 and 12, the section 11 having a double-walled crown or top portion 13. The water-chamber 10a between the double walls in crown 13 is not of less width than the water-chamber in section 11 of the double walls of the combustion chamber. There is no interruption between the water- -chamber in section 11 and the water-chamber in the crown 13, said crown 13 having suitable openings 111 which connect the combustion-chamber 15 with flue 16. Fitting upon the crown portion of the combustionchamber is a round, bell-shaped hood 17 having a flue 16 therein.

At 18 is shown the common ordinary opening for the purpose of cleaning out the flue 16.

At 18a in the bottom of the double walls of the combustion-chamber is provided aclinker-cleaning opening, used for the removal of clinkers from the top of the grate and, also, cleaning the tire.

At 19 I show, conically, my improved combined fuel holding-chamber and lirebox having double walls 20 with watercharnber 20a between walls 2O and a fuel charging or feed opening 19a. The waterchamber 20a has an outlet 21 at its upper extremity or apex connecting with waterchamber 10a of crown 13. The doub-le walls of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box have walled orifices placed at intervals near the bottom-to form hollow legs or supports 23, more clearly shown in Fig. 5. Connecting the legs 23 and formed integral therewith is a hollow, annular, flanged base-bottom 24 having inlets 25 in its outer wall. The hollow', annular, flanged base-bottom 24 is also provided with lugs 27 to engage with lugs 28 on section 12 of the double walls of the combustion-chamber 15. The section 12 of the double walls of the combustion-chamber 15 is provided at its top with suitable lugs to engage with similar, duly registering lugs provided at the bottom of section 11 of the combustionchamber 15. The hollow, annular, base-bottom 24 is adapted to rest on top of the ashpit 29. The ash-pit 29 is provided with a door 30 which has no draft openings, whatever, therein. Mounted in the top of the ash-pit 29 are the several parts 31 of the fire and fuel supporting-grate 34. The parts 31 have extensions 32 which bear in suitable bearings 33 on the ash-pit top. The fuel and fire supporting-grate 34 is of an old style and may be mounted in the usual manner upon the ash-pit 29. Of co-urse, the several members 31 of the fire and fuel supporting-grate 34 are connected together by means of member 35, more clearly shown in Fig. 2. Each member 31 of the fuel and fire supporting-grate 34 has an extension 31a pivoted to member 35, the central member of the fuel and fire supporting-grate 34 having an extension 36 adapted to receive a handle 37 for the purpose of turning the entire grate It is seen that, when the handle 37 is turned, the central grate-bar is tipped, thereby tipping the other members of the fuel and fire supportingrate 34.

In Fig. 1, I show the fuel 38 pdaced in the interio-r of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box 19 and held upon the fuel and fire supporting-grate 34. The fuel is duly placed or thrown into the interior of the combined fuel holding-chamber and firebox 19 through the lateral passage-way or opening 19a, projecting at an angle to the perpendicular of the double-walled combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box, and provided with surrounding double walls, the latter (said double walls) having a chamber between them and said opening 19a together with said surrounding double walls and said intervening chamber extending to and through an opening in the double walls of the combustion-chamber. The feed-opening 19a is provided with a suitable door 39 having a damper 40 or other desired means for regulating the flow of air through said feedopening 19a into and through the fuel 38'. It is apparent that after the fuel is ignited it will get its supply af air from the feedopening 19a, the air passing downward through the fuel 38, and thence through the openings 22, between the hollow legs 23, into the combustion-chamber 15, and upward through said combustion-chamber 15, thereby surrounding the outer shell 2O of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box 19 and passing through passage-ways 14 in crown 13, and then passing out through flue 16. Thus, it is seen the importance of the combustion-chamber 15 owing to its position in the apparatus by extending upward from the base of the orifices 22 to the crown 13., The importance of the combined fuel holdinO- chamber and fire-box 19 having the double walls or shells 20 and the annulus or waterchamber 20a continuous in their length and oriiiced at intervals near the bottom, compelling the air to flow or pass downward through the fuel, thence through the openings 22 to the combustion-chamber 15, thence upward, presenting the inner wall 10 of the combustion-chamber 15 and the outside shell 20 of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box 19 wholly to the gases of combustion, thereby enabling the utilization of the surfaces of these two shells 10 and 20 for heating surfaces and thereby making, with the inner shell 20 of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box 19, three heating surfaces in the apparatus, where only one is found in the ordinary top-feed and updraft apparatus.

The water enters the hollow, annular basebottom 24 through the openings 25 and thence passes through the openings 41 in the top of the hollow, annular base-bottom 24, and in the lower annular end 1()b of the walls 10 of the combustion-chamber 15, filling the water-chamber 10a, thence passes through openings 42 in the annular upper end 10C of. the section 12 and lower annular end 10c1 of section 11 of the double walls 10 of the combustion-chamber 15, filling the water-chamber 10a of the ent-ire combustion-chamber 15 including the water-chamber 10a of the crown 13, and, also, fills the water-chamber 20a between the two walls or shells 20 of the combined fuel holding-chamber and firebox 19 by passing from the chamber o-f the hollow, annular base-bottom 24 through the hollow legs 23 and passing through the pipe 21 into water-chamber 10a of crown 13. At this point the water coming through the water-chamber 2Oa of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box 19, unites with the water which has come throu h the waterchamber 10a of the double wa ls 10 of the combustion-chamber 15 and passes out through pipe 23 into suitable connectingpipes. Thus it is seen that the water in its flow through the water-chambers of the apparatus is in constant contact with a heating surface, and thus causing the apparatus to be a very efficient water heater'.

The combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box 19 is preferably made conical to form a chamber of sufficient area to insure the proper expansion of the gases in the combustion-chamber 15. The purpose of th'e fuel and fire supporting-grate 3st of the apparatus is merely to drop the ashes into the ash-pit 29 when desired and to form a support for the fuel 38. It may be of the usual forms of rocking and dumping grates, but, of course, without air-passages. rfhe ashpit door is made solid without damper-openings and is fitted air-tight to its frame in order that no air is allowed to enter the apparatus through that source.

My invention is constructed to heat water and, also, to generate steam if desired, but. however, it may be modified to heat air or heat partly by air and partly by radiant heat. In warm air or radiant heat, the air will pass only through the chamber in the walls of the combined fuel holding-chamber and fire-box, entering through the opening 25 in the hollow, annular base-bottom 2st, but considerably enlarged. In this latter method of heating, the wall of the combustion-chamber will be a single one.

It is obvious that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit` and scope of the invention herein.

I claim:

1. A downdraft heating-furnace comprising an outer shell, a concentric inner shell forming a fire-pot and fuel-holder, a fuel and fire supporting-grate forming the bottom of said fire-pot, a dead-air or draftless ash-pit below said supporting-grate, a downdraft passage leading from an opening` in the top of said fire-pot, thence through both the upper supply of fuel and the lower strata of ignited fuel or fire supported by said grate, thence laterally through openings in the lower part of said fire-pot, thence upwardly through a combustion-chamber between said fire-pot and the outer shell, thence through openings in the crown of said outer shell and thence into the exitflue.

2. A downdraft heating-furnace comprising an outer shell, a concentric inner shell forming a fire-pot and fuel-holder, a fuel and fire supporting-grate forming the bottom of said fire-pot, a dead-air or draftless ash-pit below said supporting-grate and a water-chamber surrounding said fire-pot its entire height and having inlet and outlet water passages therethrough.

3. A downdraft heating-furnace comprising a double or hollow walled outer shell, a double or hollow walled crown surlnounting said outer shell, a dead-air or draftless ashpit, a double or 'hollow walled fire-pot concentrically-supported by said ash-pit walls within the said outer shell, a lateral passageway at the top of said fire-pot leading from the outer face of said outer shell to the interior of the fire-pot and adapted to receive Ithe fuel and all the needed air or draft for the fire-pot, such draft passing dow* wardly through said fuel and the fire at the bottom thereof, means comprising a door in said 1 lateral passage-way at the top of the fire-pothaving a damper therein for regulating the supply of air or draft to and through the lire-pot and its fuel contents, air-outlet openings or draft passages provided above the said ash-pit in the lower portion of said fire-pot, a combustion-chamber concentrically surrounding said fire-pot within the said outer shell, a suitable grate mounted in the top of said ash-pit and adapted to support the fuel and fire within the fire-pot, water inlet and outlet passages or openings in the said double or hollow walled outer shell, fire-pot and crown and an outlet-opening leading to the exit-flue.

4L. A downdraft heating-furnace comprising a dead-air or draftless ash-pit, a conical double or hollow walled fire-pot supported by said draftless ash-pit, a series of solid grate-bars suitably coupled together for rocker or shaker and tilting action in the bottom of said fire-pot and adapted to support the fuel and fire therein, above said draftless ash-pit, a combined fuel and draft opening leading from the top of said lire-pot into the fuel holding-chamber and fire-box below, a door having a damper or other suitable regulating device therein at the outer end of said fuel and draft entrance, a double or hollow walled outer shell concentric to said fire-pot and supported by the hollow, extension base of the latter, a double -or hollow walled crown forming a part of and surmounting said outer shell above the firepot, draft openings or passage-ways in the lower part of said tire-pot, a combustionchamber intervening said fire-pot and said outer shell and having its upper portion of increasing area or dimensions from t-he lower portion thereof upward for the proper expansion of the gases arising from the burning fuel in the fire-pot and passing laterally through said lower draft-openings in the fire-pot, water inlets and outlets leading to and from said hollow walls of the outer shell, the fire-pot and the crown, an outlet leading to the iue and a side opening or man-hole at the lower portion of the outer shell for access to the fire and the grate below.

5. A downdraft heating-apparatus comprising a dead-air or draftless ash-pit, a double or hollow walled outer shell made in horizontally-divided sections, a double or hollow walled fire-pot concentricallymounted within said outer shell and supported by said draftless base, a Series of suitably coupled solid grate-bars each rotatably-supported in the top of Said draftless ash-pit and adapted to support the fuel and fire within said fire-pot and for shaker and dumping action thereon, a double or hollow walled lateral extension constructed at the top of the fire-pot, a damper-regulated door at the mouth or entrance to Said lateral eX- tension and controlling the entrance of air or draft in a downward course into, through and from said lateral extension into t-he firepot and its contents below, gas exit openlngs or passages pierced in the lower part of said fire-pot, gas exit passages in the crown surinounting the said outer shell, a suitable dome or hood surlnounting` said crown, an exit-flue in said dome, and water inlet and outlet openings in said hollow walls of the outer shell, fire-pot and dome.

VILLIAM H. JAMES. Witnesses:

LEWIS W. IRWIN, JOHN ELIAS JONES. 

